The Archibald Prize is awarded annually to the best portrait, ‘preferentially of some man or woman distinguished in art, letters, science or politics, painted by any artist resident in Australasia’. Although, since its inception in 1921, the Archibald Prize has caused debate and controversy throughout the art world, resulting in a number of legal battles.
JF ARCHIBALD
The Archibald Prize is one of the only art prizes in the country that is acknowledged as a household name. However, JF Archibald (1856-1919), the man who launched Australia’s most famous portraiture prize, was known to be elusive and enigmatic. He avoided publicity and had no desire to become a celebrity. Born in Victoria, Archibald began a career in journalism when he was just 15. After working on a small newspaper in the…